JONQUEL JONES

SYDNEY — (AP) — Jovana Nogic scored 13 points to lead five players in double figures for Serbia in a 69-64 win over Japan on Friday in the women's basketball World Cup. In other games Friday, the U.S. routed Puerto Rico 106-42; China beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 98-51 and Belgium topped South Korea 84-61. Alyssa Thomas added 11 points and six steals for the Americans (2-0), who forced Puerto Rico into 21 turnovers. The Americans contested nearly every shot Puerto Rico took and forced nine turnovers. Leeseul Kang scored 11 points to lead South Korea (0-2).

Nirra Fields scored 17 points and Shay Colley added 11 to help Canada beat France 59-45 in the women’s basketball World Cup.

WNBA stars have for years spent their offseasons playing in Russian pro leagues, lured by seven-figure paydays that trump their salaries back home. With Brittney Griner detained in a Russian prison and the war in Ukraine still raging, WNBA players are sitting this season out. Breanna Stewart, a four-time WNBA All-Star and a former teammate of Griner's on Russia's UMMC Ekaterinburg, explained her decision to the Associated Press. It's easy to understand why WNBA stars made the offseason trek to Russia on a yearly basis. Commissioner Cathy Englebert addressed the issue ahead of the recently concluded WNBA Finals while calling Griner's ongoing detainment "unacceptable."

Alyssa Thomas finished the 2022 WNBA season with back-to-back triple-doubles, a historic rarity that’s turning more commonplace in the league. Tough, tough, tough. It was a perfect cap for a season that's experienced a record nine. Last year, it was Alyssa Thomas out with an Achilles and the year prior, Jonquel Jones opted out of the bubble season. It was his first as coach and the year they drafted 2020 MVP Jonquel Jones with the No.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — (AP) — Alyssa Thomas had the first triple-double in WNBA Finals history, and the Connecticut Sun staved off elimination by beating the Las Vegas Aces 105-76 in Game 3 on Thursday night. Las Vegas couldn't get closer than six the rest of the game. The victory thwarted Las Vegas' first attempt at winning the franchise's inaugural WNBA championship. He took over the franchise when it moved to Las Vegas in 2018 before retiring at the end of last season. ... Had the Aces been able to complete the comeback, they would have broken the mark for biggest rally in WNBA Finals history.

Alyssa Thomas had the first triple-double in WNBA Finals history to help the Connecticut Sun stave off elimination by beating the Las Vegas Aces 105-76 in Game 3.

LAS VEGAS — It’s wheels up to Uncasville, Connecticut, as the WNBA Finals shift all the way across the country for Game 3 and a potential Game 4. And in a notable first, the Connecticut Sun and Las Vegas Aces will do it via charter flights. “I was impressed with how they were able to do that, honestly, in a couple hours to activate two charter flights,” Sun basketball operations coordinator Peter Feeney told Yahoo Sports. The league does not allow teams to charter flights as dictated in the 2020 collective bargaining agreement (CBA). Tsai was fined a record $500,000 for using charter flights in the 2021 regular season.

A’ja Wilson had 26 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Las Vegas Aces to an 85-71 victory over the Connecticut Sun in Game 2 of the WNBA Finals.

A’ja Wilson had 24 points and 11 rebounds and the Las Vegas Aces defeated the Connecticut Sun 67-64 on Sunday in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals The Aces staved off a late run by the Sun, who erased a seven-point deficit with 1:24 left when Alyssa Thomas hit back-to-back shots to pull Connecticut within three.

Connecticut scored the final 18 points of the game to overcome a 63-54 deficit with 4:46 remaining. Chicago was attempting to become the first team to repeat as WNBA champions since the Los Angeles Sparks in 2001-02. Kahleah Copper led the Sky with 22 points on 8-for-19 shooting, including 3 of 5 from long distance, and added four steals. Emma Meesseman, who finished with 14 points on 6-for-14 shooting and six rebounds, gave the Sky an 11-point lead with 7:20 to play. UP NEXTChicago will face the top-seeded Aces in Las Vegas in the opener of the WNBA Finals on Sunday afternoon.

Jonquel Jones had 15 points and 10 rebounds and the Connecticut Sun overcame an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter, beating the Chicago Sky 72-63 in the decisive fifth game of the semifinal series and advancing to the WNBA Finals.

DeWanna Bonner and Courtney Williams each scored 19 points to help the Connecticut Sun rout the Chicago Sky 104-80 and force a decisive Game 5 in their WNBA playoffs semifinal series.

Defending WNBA champion Chicago and Connecticut meet Sunday in the WNBA playoffs for the third straight year and a second straight time in the semifinals.

Following Brittney Griner’s sentencing in Russia to nine years in prison Thursday, WNBA players, coaches and fans locked arms and tried to send the American basketball star strength during a moment of silence.

The Las Vegas Aces have come out of the All-Star break on a roll, winning three road games and scoring more than 100 points in two of victories.

A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart and the rest of the WNBA All-Stars lined up along the sideline after halftime, the No. 42 and the name Griner on the back of all of their jerseys.

The New York Liberty are a work in progress.

Han Xu feels much more comfortable in her second WNBA stint with the New York Liberty.

With the game tied at 93, Candace Parker scored on a layup off a neat pass from Vandersloot for her record-breaking assist. Connecticut couldn't recover, scoring only its second basket of the second OT on Brionna Jones' jumper with 13.7 seconds left that made it 98-95. With the game tied at 91 in the first OT, the Sky dribbled the clock down before Brionna Jones stole the ball. I want to be visible,” said Miller, who was honored as the league's Coach of the Year for the second time in his career. “I didn't want to be the gay coach," he said.

In previous years, the Connecticut Sun forward has been honored by the media that votes on the weekly AP WNBA power poll as the Sixth Woman of the Year and Most Improved Player. This year, the 6-foot-6 Jones is the unanimous choice AP Player of the Year honors by the 14-member panel, announced Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File) (Ashley Landis)Jonquel Jones is no stranger to winning Associated Press WNBA awards. In previous years, the Connecticut Sun forward has been honored by the media that votes on the weekly AP WNBA power poll as the Sixth Woman of the Year and Most Improved Player. This year, the 6-foot-6 Jones is the unanimous choice AP Player of the Year honors by the 14-member panel.

Jonquel Jones is no stranger to winning Associated Press WNBA awards.

The WNBA enters the final week of the regular season with many playoff positions still to be decided as well as the final postseason berth.

The WNBA playoff chase may come down to the final day of the regular season on Sept. 19.

Elena Delle Donne and Chiney Ogwumike will have a major impact on the Washington Mystics and Los Angeles Sparks playoff chances now that they're back on the basketball court.

Breanna Stewart scored 15 of her 17 points in the first quarter and the Seattle Storm routed the Connecticut Sun 79-57 to win the inaugural WNBA Commissioner’s Cup.

No team has been playing better than Minnesota the past few weeks as the WNBA enters its monthlong Olympic break.

The Chicago Sky are at full strength and moving up the WNBA standings after a slow start due to injuries.

“It’s magnified when it’s some of the elite players,” said Sun coach Curt Miller, whose team moved back to No. With teams only carrying 11 or 12 players on their rosters, the rash of injuries have left them scrambling. Connecticut (8-2): The Sun had victories over Las Vegas and New York last week to move back atop the poll. “We have completed our investigation and generally do not comment on discipline around officiating,” a WNBA spokesperson said. Augustus spent the first 13 years of her career with Minnesota, helping them win four WNBA championships.

The WNBA season isn’t even two weeks old and the New York Liberty have already doubled their win total from last year and are off to their best start since 2007.

NEW YORK — (AP) — The Las Vegas Aces fell just short of the WNBA championship last season while missing three key players. Now with Liz Cambage, Kelsey Plum and Dearica Hamby back as well as free agent addition Chelsea Gray to help league MVP A'ja Wilson, the Aces sit atop the preseason Associated Press WNBA poll Wednesday. “We grew up last year, we added other pieces," Aces coach Bill Laimbeer said. Seattle, the defending WNBA champions, garnered the other four first-place ballots and was picked second. Seattle star Breanna Stewart was picked as the AP preseason player of the year for the second straight season.

NEW YORK The Seattle Storm are healthy to begin the season with Breanna Stewart and Sue Bird back in the lineup and sit atop the preseason Associated Press WNBA poll. 1 in the preseason since the AP has been doing the poll. You have to go out there and play the games, said Bird, who missed last season while recovering from knee surgery. Connecticut and Washington, who met for the WNBA title last year, were sixth and seventh in the poll. The first regular season power poll will be released on Tuesday, July 28___Follow Doug on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/dougfeinberg

WASHINGTON Washington Mystics players Natasha Cloud and LaToya Sanders are opting out of participating in the 2020 WNBA season for the leagues reigning champions. Theres a lot of factors that led to this decision, but the biggest being that I am more than an athlete. Cloud and Sanders each has been with Washington for five seasons. Her commitment to social justice issues is of utmost importance to her and, therefore, to the Mystics organization, Thibault said of Cloud. We will continue to be partners with her and all of our players on their commitment to social justice reform as we go forward into this season and beyond.Players have until Thursday to opt out of the season.